The Third Estate Sunday Review focuses on politics and culture. We're an online magazine. We don't play nice and we don't kiss butt. In the words of Tuesday Weld: "I do not ever want to be a huge star. Do you think I want a success? I refused "Bonnie and Clyde" because I was nursing at the time but also because deep down I knew that it was going to be a huge success. The same was true of "Bob and Carol and Fred and Sue" or whatever it was called. It reeked of success."

Tuesday, May 02, 2017

At this stage of his career, Obama must dedicate much of his time to the
maintenance of Official Lies, since they are central to his own
“legacy.” With the frenzied assistance of his first secretary of state,
Hillary Clinton, Obama launched a massive military offensive – a rush
job to put the New American Century back on schedule. Pivoting to all
corners of the planet, and with the general aim of isolating and
intimidating Russia and China, the salient feature of Obama’s offensive
was the naked deployment of Islamic jihadists as foot soldiers of U.S.
imperialism in Libya and Syria. It is a strategy that
is morally and politically indefensible -- unspeakable! -- the truth of
which would shatter the prevailing order in the imperial heartland,
itself.Thus, from 2011 to when he left the White House for a Tahiti yachting
vacation with music mogul David Geffen and assorted movie and media
celebrities, Obama orchestrated what the late Saddam Hussein would have
called “The Mother of All Lies”: that the U.S. was not locked in an
alliance with al-Qaida and its terrorist offshoots in Syria, a
relationship begun almost 40 years earlier in Afghanistan.He had all the help he needed from a compliant corporate media, whose
loyalty to U.S. foreign policy can always be counted on in times of
war. Since the U.S. is constantly in a (self-proclaimed) state of war,
corporate media collaboration is guaranteed. Outside the U.S. and
European corporate media bubble, the whole world was aware that al Qaida
and the U.S. were comrades in arms. (According to a 2015 poll, 82
percent of Syrians and 85 percent of Iraqis believe the U.S. created ISIS.)
When Vladimir Putin told a session of the United Nations General
Assembly that satellites showed lines of ISIS tankers stretching from
captured Syrian oil fields “to the horizon,” bound for U.S.-allied
Turkey, yet untouched by American bombers, the Obama administration had
no retort. Russian jets destroyed 1,000 of the tankers,
forcing the Americans to mount their own, smaller raids. But, the
moment soon passed into the corporate media’s amnesia hole -- another
fact that must be shed in order to avoid unspeakable conclusions.

President Trump has delegated to the Pentagon the authority to set the American military troop levels in Iraq
and Syria. The move restores a process that was in place prior to the
Bush and Obama administrations and is another sign of how the White
House is giving military commanders greater flexibility in their
operations.

"The President has delegated the authority for Force Management Levels
(FML) for Iraq and Syria to the Secretary," said Captain Jeff Davis, a
Pentagon spokesman, referring to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

Davis said the authority is being returned to the Pentagon where it had
typically existed prior to the Bush and Obama administrations.

Is this a good thing?

Control will now be placed in the hands of those who are more familiar with the military since they are a part of it.

But isn't this delegation also thwarting civilian control?

Isn't that the whole point in the president of the United States being commander in chief and not some general: Civilian control.

There are pluses and minuses to the issue -- both in terms of a President Donald Trump (who seems to alarm many) and in terms of the power structure itself.

But, strangely, it was one of last week's least noted and explored issues.

And we're gripped and carried along for the ride as Claire (Pfeiffer) learns her problems are not an abusive neighbor next door but a woman her husband killed. It's a bumpy ride and, early on, we're aware that Claire may be losing her sanity and imagining everything.

It's a movie we love -- one many people love as evidenced by the $291 million worldwide gross.

Last weekend, it was playing on SYFY and so much easier to turn on then HULU's THE HANDMAID'S TALE.

Both revolve around women in jeopardy.

People in jeopardy are at the heart of most films, TV shows and books.

Tom Cruise is in jeopardy in THE FIRM, Macaulay Culkin in HOME ALONE, Joan Crawford throughout the bulk of her film career and the would-be-Crawford Michael Douglas throughout his films.

But jeopardy is a tricky thing.

Before becoming the box office smash, HOME ALONE was an iffy project.

The promos weren't well received.

The problem: Would be audiences weren't embracing a child being left alone.

So the promos were recut to feature Catherine O'Hara's scenes where she panics and attempts to return home.

With a few seconds of tweeking, 20TH CENTURY FOX had a film millions wanted to see.

What about THE HANDMAID'S TALE?

It's debuted to great reviews.

And that might mean something to us if The Water Cooler Set ever valued women.

But they don't.

THE HANDMAID'S TALE started out as a novel, a classic by Margaret Atwood. In the future, actions humans have taken have led to a climate where (a) few women can get pregnant and (b) where religious fundamentalists have taken over via martial law and use portions of THE BIBLE to suppress the rights of the majority.

Offred is the main character in the novel.

She's also the main character in the 1990 film starring Natasha Richardson (as Offred) and Faye Dunaway (as Serena Joy, the wife unable to get pregnant).

And nothing stopped us from reading the novel or seeing the film.

But a TV series?

Not a mini-series, but a TV series?

Along with the anti-women Water Cooler Set applauding the series there's the fact that a series goes on and on.

When does it end?

Are we masochists?

Eager each week to see another chapter in the subjugation and demonization of women (those who can get pregnant are seen as "sluts" and "whores" by those women who can't)?

With a novel, a film or a mini-series, you know an ending arrives at some point.

With a series?

Offred's no Buffy Summers or Olivia Pope.

Hell, she's not even Pepper Potts.

But she does yammer on endlessly.

In the novel, she's the narrator.

It works very well.

But film and TV are visual mediums and show-don't-tell exists for a reason.

The HULU series relies way too much on voice over.

It's not enough that we have to suffer through Offred's interior monologues, we also have to hear what she wants to reply to comments before we hear what she's forced to say.

Why is that?

Because viewers aren't smart enough to grasp facial expressions?

Elizabeth Moss is not doing a great job.

She's not even doing a good job.

When she filmed THE HANDMAID'S TALE, Natasha Richardson was 26. She looked about that age (and looked the epitome of health). By contrast, Moss is 34 and looks about 38. In a story about fertility, that does matter. The show runners realize it enough to make it appear that the character is younger.

The only one giving a performance worth praising currently is Yvonne Strahovski.

The CHUCK actress isn't allowed to reveal too many more emotions than Moss' Offred but Strahovski has enough talent to add weight and meaning in gestures and reactions.

Max Mingehella is a blank slate.

Sadly, that's not a compliment. His Nick is supposed to have chemistry with Offred -- he will eventually impregnate her (if the series stays true to the novel).

The two make eyes at one another repeatedly in the first episodes.

But these aren't smoldering looks, they're more confused and apathetic.

Also lacking fire is Joseph Finnes.

Here, the problem's mainly the material.

His Commander Fred should luxuriate in his own power and role, like a happy pig wallowing in the mud.

He has everything he supposedly wants.

So why is he so mopey -- or worse, timid, when playing Scrabble with Offred?

If he is the manifestation of danger and oppression in the story, his character should amount to something more than Matthew Broderick in 2004's THE STEPFORD WIVES.

Instead, it's left to a woman, Ann Dowd, to represent true evil on the show in her portrayal of Aunt Lydia.

In a male dominated society, Aunt Lydia goes along with the flow.

But while we've yet to see any redeeming aspect to her, she's still the Eichmann to the various commanders' Hilter.

Or would be if the series lived up to the vision Atwood set out in the novel.

The novel's the only real winner here. Hopefully, HULU's show will steer some new readers to the book. That's about the only thing that can qualify as a winner from this project.

People wrongly assume that today's biggest stars have achieved, they they're now going to be remembered forever.

Wrong.

Faye Dunaway has the best chance of her crop of actresses of being remembered having appeared in films like BONNIE & CLYDE, CHINATOWN, NETWORK and MOMMIE DEAREST -- films with legs. Jack Nicholson has the best chance of actors of his peer group.

So many more will be forgotten.

Here are five who will not be remembered as leading film actors (though the fifth will be remembered for character parts).

1) Meryl Streep.

She's been nominated forever!!!!!

Yeah?

Two words: Luise Rainer won two Academy Awards.

Luise who?

That's what most people would say about the first woman to win two Academy Awards for Best Actress.

Need two more words: Greer Garson.

Critical praise doesn't mean you're memorable.

Meryl's been a muted color onscreen in role after role. Glenn Close has accomplished what Meryl has failed at.

2) George Clooney.

His biggest success is the closet-case version of the Batman films: BATMAN & ROBIN. Other than that? He's never carried a film to blockbuster status. And his biggest impression remains as Doug on TV's ER.

3) Matt Damon.

B-b-b-but he co-wrote GOOD WILL HUNTING!!!!

Exactly.

A forgettable film.

The sort of film the Academy lavishes with undeserved attention. The sort of film Howard Hawks avoided with a passion. BRINGING UP BABY, TO HAVE AND TO HOLD, THE BIG SLEEP, HIS GIRL FRIDAY, RED RIVER, BALL OF FIRE, GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES, etc. All classic Howard Hawks films and not an Academy Award winner in the bunch.

4) Sally Field.

Like Clooney, Field's biggest moment is TV. No, not GIDGET, THE FLYING NUN or THE GIRL WITH SOMETHING EXTRA. No, not ER or BROTHERS & SISTERS. SYBIL. Nothing she's done has topped it or, sadly, matched it. She played Aunt Mae in the two SPIDER-MAN films that are destined to be forgotten. Ironically, none of her film comedies will be remembered the way MY UNCLE VINNIE will be -- and Marisa Tomei won an Academy Award for that film and is now playing Aunt Mae. Life can be harsh.

5) Alec Baldwin.

A one-time leading man, he's most likely to be remembered as such for PRELUDE TO A KISS -- but that's only due to that being a romantic comedy starring Meg Ryan. As a queen of the genre, many of Meg's films will be remembered but this will be one of her lesser ones. Otherwise, he'll be remembered for bit parts both after his weight gain (ALOHA, BLUE JASMINE) and before (MARRIED TO THE MOB, WORKING GIRL). Alec can take comfort in the fact that though he'll be forgotten as a leading man, he will be remembered as a strong character actor.

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Jim, Dona, Jess, Ty, "Ava" started out this site as five students enrolled in journalism in NY. Now? We're still students. We're in CA. Journalism? The majority scoffs at the notion.
From the start, at the very start, C.I. of The Common Ills has helped with the writing here. C.I.'s part of our core six/gang. (C.I. and Ava write the TV commentaries by themselves.) So that's the six of us. We also credit Dallas as our link locator, soundboard and much more. We try to remember to thank him each week (don't always remember to note it here) but we'll note him in this. So this is a site by the gang/core six: Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess, Ava and C.I. (of The Common Ills).